


Splinched

by i_grace3



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Act 3, Angst, Apologies, Blood, But It Goes Wrong, Cursed Child, Fluff, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I finished this at 2am, M/M, One Shot, Parents, Splinching, Time Turner, Triwizard Tournament, as delphi is dumb, i wrote this listening to sleeping with sirens and bring me the horizon oops, kinda heartwrenching, please appreciate it, quidditch pitch scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:15:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29780172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_grace3/pseuds/i_grace3
Summary: Albus and Scorpius are caught in Delphi's clutches on the quidditch pitch. But when they turn time back to the Third Task, something goes dreadfully wrong for Delphi. It was her first time using the time-turner. So no wonder it splinched her...
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Splinched

“Cedric! Is the spare!” Delphi pulled Scorpius viciously towards her and he collapsed to her feet. “And Albus!” She pulled him too towards her, the boy stumbling and falling down onto the ground. “The unseen child who will kill his father by rewriting time.” She took out the time-turner, her cold glare fixed on the silver dials rather than the terror on the two boys faces. This simply amused her. The fact that they had been so gullible. Especially Albus, poor Albus Potter, so desperate to prove himself to his father that all it took was a conversation and looking ‘pretty’ for her to catch him in her web. Scorpius was far less deceivable, right from the start Delphi knew that he thought there was something off about her. He was suspicious from the start and Delphi took pleasure in that she proved him very much right and had managed to separate Albus from his pack. But she felt somewhat awful about the situation. She was just desperate now, it was her last resort and she felt guilty about ruining hers and Albus’ friendship. But she quickly struck the thought from her mind, re-focusing on the task at hand.  
“And so return, The Dark Lord.” She ran her fingers across the cool metal on the dials, setting the date into the device. A menacing smile grew onto her face, one that chilled Albus to the very bone. “NOW!” She yelled, viciously and the world around them began to melt away, pulsating, churning and then resetting. Craig’s lifeless body vanished before there is a whoosh and a sucking noise before a brief moment of silence and stillness. But then there was a cracking noise as the trio emerged again. This time, both of the boys were okay, every bone in their body was intact despite the brutal cords binding their wrists together. But Delphi on the other hand, wasn’t so much.  
“FUCK!” Delphi cursed and yelped out in pain, dropping the time-turner and she fell hard onto the ground. Scorpius scrambled to grab the device as he watched it fall from her hands. But Delphi, despite her pain, managed to snatch it just before he could reach it. Delphi then lent forward and clutched her lower leg in agony. She tore off her boot, her fingers trembling as she untied her laces. The boys staired at her in shock, completely shaken by the events of the last twenty minutes. They didn’t know what to do as they watched the woman who manipulated them, tortured them and now kidnapped them back in time, bleed out. The grass where she was collapsed onto was slowly staining scarlet, blood oozing from her ankle, around the back of her Achilles. It looked as it had been slashed and Albus’ stomach flipped as he looked down on it.  
Delphi had suffered the same way Albus and Ron had when they first used the time-turner. She had been splinched. And badly at that. She groaned out in agony, pressing her trembling hand firmly against the gaping wound on her leg.   
“What do we do?!” Scorpius cried out, fear and panic ridden through his voice and his exhausted face turning pale. “WHAT DO WE DO ALBUS?!”  
Albus just simply stared at Delphi on the ground, oblivious to his friend’s anxiety as he was still processing the last twenty minutes in his head. He debated whether to just leave her here to die, bleed out on the grass. Or bring her back and get help. He couldn’t decide. He wanted to do one thing but the other option appealed to him just as much. He knew that if he’d leave her here, sobbing in pain as she bled out, she’d surely die. Or be lucky enough to be put out of her misery by a Triwizard champion who may come across her, thinking she was an obstacle. He’d feel guilty for just abandoning her. But if he did, and if for some miracle she did survive, who knows what chaos she could cause on top of the havoc she had already inflicted. But something in his head kept shouting at him: 

She deserves it. She deserves to die, Albus, leave her here. Make her suffer like you and Scorpius. She deserves to suffer. And you know it. Leave her to die, Albus. Leave her.

Albus had to watch helplessly as the woman put his best friend through the most unimaginable pain, he had to watch as she murdered one of his classmates without hesitation, without second thought. Maybe they should leave her here. Maybe they should leave her to die. Yet he felt as if he couldn’t. He had to bring her back. He snapped out of his trance as Scorpius shook him, panicked.  
Delphi was now sobbing, groaning in pain as she clutched her leg, her hand stained in her own blood. She was in unbearable pain. She just wanted the boys to put her out of her misery, kill her, leave her here, go back to 2020 where they were safe. Delphi had never used a time-turner before so no wonder this happened. Albus had told her about what happened to his arm on the second time they turned time.   
“Delphi, where’s your wand.” Scorpius yelled.  
It took Delphi a moment to think before gasping, “Side of my jeans.”  
“We need you to undo these if you want us to help you.”  
She sat there for a moment, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. And then she drew her wand, pointing it at Scorpius’ ropes, her hand trembling and stained with her blood. “Emancipare.” She stammered through her heavy, ragged breathing. The bounds on Scorpius’ wrists vanished and he rubbed them gently. “Emancipare.” She did the same to Albus’. The boys looked at each other, nodding before Delphi put her wand away again, her fingers trembling.  
She suddenly felt the pain increase and she cried out, hot tears streaking down her face and she looked down. Albus was tying his scarf around the wound. “What the fuck are you doing Albus?” She gasped, weakly.  
“We can’t just leave you here to die. You need to come back with us. We won’t abandon you here.” He shouted, rather distressed. She caught the sight of Scorpius resetting the time-turner out the corner of her eye.   
“No- no leave me! Go!” She groaned, “Or just put me out of my misery. Please.”  
“We’re not going back without you. Neither of us particularly want to take you with us, but we can’t just abandon you.” Scorpius yelled. “And no, we won’t kill you. As much as you beg us, we won’t do it.”  
“You’re cowards.” She laughed, weakly. “Cowards, the both of you.”  
“Shut up.” Albus spat, tying a knot with his scarf, tightly and Delphi winced. “I can do it again.” Delphi clenched her jaw, unimpressed that a pair of fourteen year old boys are now trying to save her life when they really didn’t want to, but didn’t have the courage to kill her anyway.  
“Albus!” Scorpius shouted, the time-turner heating up in his hands, vibrating, signalling that it was time for them to go.   
“Okay, time’s up.” Albus stammered. “Can you walk?”  
“Does it fucking look like it you idiot!” Delphi spat through gritted teeth, “Please Albus, I beg you just kill me.”   
“Albus, come on!” Scorpius called, the time-turner getting more and more frantic by the second. “ALBUS!”  
Albus reached down towards where Delphi’s wand was, his fingers hovering above it.  
“Do it, Albus.” Delphi looked him straight in his eye with her cold but somewhat desperate look. “Do it. I know you want to. You know I deserve it.”  
“You deserve to suffer, you don’t deserve to just be put out of your misery. Oh, despite how much I want to, I won’t.” Albus pulled his hand away from her wand. “Now come on. Let’s go.”   
Albus helped haul her to her feet, putting her arm around his shoulder and making sure he bought her other boot back with them. He thrust it into her hand. “I believe that’s yours.”   
Delphi yelped as she put weight onto her wrecked leg as the pair hobbled quickly over to Scorpius.  
“Jesus, took you long enough. Okay?” He asked, holding the time-turner out and the other two took a grip on it with their free hands.   
“Not really.” Delphi whimpered as she desperately tried not to put weight onto her slashed up ankle. She watched as the device began to spin, the word melting away again, a woosh and a suck followed as the world reset back to 2020. The pain in Delphi’s leg intensified and she groaned, clenching her teeth together. The trio were now stood back where they came from, on the Quidditch pitch. Scorpius tucked the time-turner away again before he took Delphi’s other arm and the three hobbled back towards the school slowly and painfully. Delphi whimpered and let the tears of pain stain her face. The blood on her hand had dried up, staining it a dark scarlet brown colour, stuck in the creases and lines on her palms and her chipped, black nail polish.  
“We need Dittany. It should help and it should heal the skin. I’m sure there’s some in the potions store cupboard.” Scorpius said, struggling. Delphi nodded, clenching her jaw.  
“Stop.” She gasped. “Stop. Please… I need to rest.”  
“It’s not too far now, it’ll only be a few minutes.” Albus tried to encourage her.  
“No, I need to stop.”   
“What if we apparate there?” Scorpius suggested. “Delphi, can you apparate?”  
“Yes. But have you ever apparated yourselves before?”  
The boys shook their heads. Delphi chuckled, weakly. “Then no. I won’t risk you both getting splinched too. That would just make it even worse. And it would put me in—” She winced again. “Put me in worse shape than I already am.”  
“Come on, it’s not too much further.”  
Delphi nodded again in reply and the group continued on their way, not speaking, the only noise from them being Delphi’s noises of pain. They hobbled down the empty hallways, past sleeping portraits and glowing lanterns towards the dungeons. “Almost there.” Albus reassured the other two, mostly Delphi as she seemed in even worse pain than when it had initially happened. They finally reached the potions classroom where they set Delphi down on the floor and Scorpius went to retrieve the Dittany from the cupboard. Albus stayed with Delphi, undoing the scarf on her leg and cleaning it up gently with a cloth and water. He took care to take Delphi’s wand from her, just in-case she would try anything.   
“Albus—” She mumbled.  
“What is it.” He snapped back.  
She looked down at the floor, swallowing and holding back her tears. “I’m sorry.” She stammered, quietly.  
“What?” His tone softened, curious.  
“I’m sorry for- you know—”  
“Why, Delphi? Why would you betray me like that?”  
“I don’t know. I was desperate, obsessed. I wasn’t thinking.”  
Albus swallowed, unsure as to if she was telling the truth. But somehow, he knew she was. “It hurt you know? It really, really hurt. The fact that I trusted you and I thought of you as one of my best friends—”  
“So did I, y’know? I didn’t have a best friend growing up, I’m sure Scorpius can tell you that. Everything I told him when I saw him on the stairs the other day was true. I didn’t have a best friend at your age. And then you came along and we just- clicked.”  
“But it was a lie, to use me and manipulate me.”  
“Albus, I didn’t want to—”  
“And then after all that, you made me watch as you tortured my best friend and kill one of my classmates.”  
Delphi turned away slightly. “I didn’t want to Albus. It was weird. I had almost zero control. It felt like my head had been hijacked and I couldn’t take back over.”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“I was so caught up in the thought that I might finally be able to meet my father that it took over me. I wouldn’t stop for anything. And I had no control over my actions, it consumed me.”  
Albus stayed silent, praying that Scorpius would walk back through the door any minute now.  
“What was the boy’s name?”  
“Craig.”  
“I didn’t want to kill Craig. And honestly, I didn’t think I could. I didn’t think I had that power in me. And the fact that I did utterly terrified me. It frightened me more than anything ever has. And I hated it, I hate knowing that I was the one to kill him, I feel so- guilty…” She paused, burying her head in her blood-stained hands. “I’m not asking for you to forgive me Albus, because I know you never can. But I just wanted you to know that I didn’t intend for any of this to happen, I had practically no control over myself. And that I’m sorry, okay? I am so sorry.” She choked on her tears, feeling a lump in her throat form and guilt pooling inside her stomach.  
“Delphi I—” Albus stuttered, unsure of what to say as a silence filled the room. “I can’t forgive you for what you did. Because it was just- unforgiveable—”   
“I’m not asking for forgiveness, Albus, I’m just asking that you understand what happened on my side of the story. I know what I did. And I do not expect forgiveness or mercy.”  
“I understand. But I cannot forgive you, Delphi. But I understand you.”  
Delphi nodded again, taking her gaze over else-where. There was silence between the two of them again as Albus finished cleaning it up as much as he could.  
“Better?” He asked.  
“A bit, thank you.”  
Scorpius came back downstairs holding a small green vial, several bandages and another larger, white bottle. He knelt down and poured out a cup of something from the white bottle. “Tendo-grow. Like Skelo-grow, but for tendons. I think you snapped your Achilles tendon. Even if you haven’t it should just help strengthen it back up anyway. No harm done either way.” Scorpius said.  
“Fucking hell.” Delphi muttered, her throat dry. “How can you tell?”  
“It looks like something I read about. I like to read, I will read anything I can get my hands on. And it just happens, I read all five volumes of ‘A Healer’s Guide to the Human Body’ over the summer.”  
“Well, I’m glad that I’m not the only book worm in this world.”  
“You read too?”  
“Yeah. It was the only thing I could do when I was a kid. Books were my friends, you know?”  
“Yeah, I know… Here, drink this.” He held out the cup of cloudy liquid to her, Delphi looking at it hesitantly before taking it and knocking it back.  
“Eugh…” She made a rather disgusted face at it as she swallowed it.  
“Sorry, it’s not the nicest stuff.” Scorpius then took out the small green bottle and poured a few drops over the wound on Delphi’s ankle. She winced as it dropped onto the open wound and it stung like hell. Scorpius applied a few more drops before the wound closed up, leaving behind fresh, raw pink skin and what will most definitely be a scar. Delphi relaxed a little as the pain reduced significantly.  
“Thank you Scorpius.” She exhaled shakily, relieved from the worst of the pain.   
“Don’t worry. Make sure you get it properly looked at though.” Scorpius finished by bandaging it up properly unlike Albus’ make shift one from his scarf. Albus looked at him in shock at how professionally he had done it. It looked like the work of Madame Pomfrey. Scorpius looked up at him and sighed. “A Healer’s First Aid Handbook.”   
“Ah, okay.”  
“I’ll get a Healer to have a look, don’t worry. That’s if I’m not going to be sent off to Azkaban.” She laughed, somehow glumly, as if she had already accepted her fate.  
“Murderer or not, you have a right to healthcare.”  
“Wow, didn’t know we were treated with so much dignity.”  
“Do you think we should go find someone?” Scorpius turned to Albus. But Delphi answered their question for them. She pulled her boot back on slowly tried to get up, leaning against the desk for support. She yelped again.  
“Delphi, what are you doing?!” Albus shouted.  
“I’m going to do the right thing for once and turn myself in.” She stammered.  
“What? No!” Albus protested.  
“Albus, I’ve caused enough chaos, I’ve killed. The least I can do is own up and go quietly. Then maybe I might stand a chance in court.”  
“But Delphi—”  
“No buts. It’s my decision. I’ve fucked up. And so I’m going to take responsibility like I should.” She paused, sighing. “I’ll see you round.” She nodded at the pair before limping slowly up the stairs, dragging her bad ankle behind her, her head hung low. They watched her leave, visibly still in a lot of pain. Albus jumped up and Scorpius did too. The pair followed Delphi down the hall, Albus clutching her wand. She limped, still clenching her jaw and whimpering in pain.   
“Delphi.” Albus called out after her. “Delphi, stop, you’re going to hurt yourself.”  
“Albus. Go. Leave me.” She begged him. “I’m okay.”  
“Al, come on.” Scorpius tugged on his jumper. “Albus.”  
Albus exchanged a small, sorrowful smile with Delphi, a brief moment between them. Maybe she was remorseful… But as Delphi turned back around, both his and Scorpius’ parents, plus his Aunt and Uncle appeared from around the corner. Delphi’s heart suddenly sank and her stomach flipped in fear. But they took no notice of her. Harry and Ginny ran to Albus, Draco ran to Scorpius, hugging them in relief.   
“Albus, oh my god are you okay?” Harry asked, his voice trembling with fear.   
“What happened?” Ginny questioned.   
“I- I’m fine, I promise.” Albus replied, tears filling his eyes.   
“Scorpius…” Draco clutched his son as they melted together. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”   
“I’m okay Dad.” Scorpius stammered in reply.  
Delphi simply stood and watched as the boys’ parents hug them tightly, checking and double checking that they were okay, comforting them as they sobbed into their arms. And it make her heart ache in her chest, knowing that she had never had any of that. She never had a parent that she could cry into, that would check that she was okay over and over again, that cared about her. She never had a parent to begin with, not even someone she could call a parent. Of course Euphemia was the one to raise her but she demanded that Delphi called her Mrs Rowle and nothing else. Her eyes filled with tears again and she chewed her lip, completely numb to the searing pain from her leg. She chewed on her thumb, forgetting that it was covered with blood. But she didn’t care, she let the metallic taste fill her mouth, wishing that she could experience love like that. That was all she ever wanted. She wasn’t power hungry, she just wanted love. She just wanted to feel her parents arms around her. Be it her mother or her father, that didn’t matter to her, she just wanted to be loved. She clutched her arm around her stomach, fighting back the lump in her throat and the tears about to fall. Her face was already wet and sticky with them plus some blood mixed into it. Delphi just stood there, numb to everything.   
And then Harry finally took notice that she was there, his eyes widened as he drew his wand. Draco did the same and Delphi raised her hands up. She felt a wand dig into the side of her neck from behind her before her arms her pulled down and behind her, bound by the same vicious cords she used on the boys. “Don’t move a muscle.” Hermione’s voice was cold and Delphi breathed out heavily, fearfully. “You’re don’t really look like what I expected for the Dark Lord’s daughter.” She scoffed. Delphi looked down at her feet, ignoring Hermione’s comment.  
Harry and Draco approached her, a stern but frightened look on their faces.   
“We’re you responsible for the Bowker boy’s death?” Harry shouted, pacing towards her. Delphi nodded, fearfully, breathing heavily.  
“Dad, don’t hurt her. Please.” Delphi heard Albus cry out as Harry trained his wand onto her. “She was going to turn herself in. Please…” He begged.  
“Turning yourself in huh? I’d expect Voldemort’s child to put up a fight.” Harry laughed, scornfully, tilting Delphi’s head up with the tip of his wand.   
“I thought it might be better to come peacefully than fight you.” Delphi stammered.  
“Your name is Delphini, am I correct?”  
“It’s Delphi.” She swallowed, scared. “Just Delphi.”  
“Delphi, if I find out that you ever laid a finger on these two boys, I assure you, you will live to regret it.” He growled, his tine frightening her a little. “Where’s your wand?”  
“Albus has it.” She stammered. Harry turned to his son who held up her wand, reassuring his Father. Harry looked back and then stared at the blood on Delphi’s hands. “Who’s blood is that?”  
Delphi suddenly felt as if she couldn’t speak, that her words were frozen before they had even left her mouth. She tried and tried but nothing came out.  
“Who’s blood is that!” Harry was shouting now and Delphi was losing the fight to hold back her tears.  
“TELL ME!”  
“She was splinched in the time-turn! It’s her own!” Albus shouted again. Harry turned around suddenly towards Albus. “It was the same thing that happened to my arm. We think it slashed her Achilles.”  
Harry turned back to Delphi. “How come you’re walking?”  
“Scorpius gave me Dittany. It healed the skin. But I barely am. ”  
Harry paused, sighing. “Get her to Madame Pomfrey. But I don’t want anyone except her and us in there. It’s off limits to students.”  
“Come on.” Hermione said, still firmly but a little softer before helping Delphi down the hallway as she limped, still whimpering at the pain.  
“But once it’s as fixed as it can be, I want to unpack what’s happened.”  
“Dad, what’s going to happen to her?” Albus asked.  
“What did she say to you Albus? What did she do?”  
“She said a lot of things to me, Dad. I don’t know what you’re looking to hear.”  
Harry sighed. “Come on, let’s sit down with all of us and talk about it.”  
“Will she be okay?”  
“I don’t know Albus. I don’t know what her or your definition of okay is. If it fits either of your criteria, then yes, she will be okay. But I don’t know what that criteria is for you.”  
“Will she go to Azkaban?”  
“Most likely, yes.”  
Albus looked down at his feet again. “I want to talk to her dad. If you want the truth from us, you’ll be best to hear it from both our mouths. I can only tell you so much. It’s her you should be more worried about. I saw the way she looked at us when you hugged me.”  
“In the morning we will. Come on, let’s get you both to bed.” Harry replied. “You both look exhausted.”   
Albus turned to Scorpius and the two walked back down the hallway toward the Slytherin dormitory. Once they were out of the grown-ups vicinity, they grasped each other’s hand, their cold fingers intertwining as they walked down the empty corridor.   
“Did you see the way she looked when our parents found us, Albus?” Scorpius murmured quietly.  
“I did…”  
“You know, I feel a little bad…”  
“You shouldn’t she tortured you.”  
“Albus, what did she say to you when I was getting the stuff from the potions cupboard?”  
“She apologised to me.”  
“Did you forgive her?”  
“No. But now I understand her side of the story.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“She didn’t want power, Scorpius, she didn’t want to kill Craig, she didn’t even think she had the power in her to do it. All she wanted was someone to love her…”  
“Oh…” Scorpius gasped softly. The two stayed silent as they arrived outside the Slytherin dormitory where they were careful as to not wake anyone. They finally arrived in their dorm where they didn’t even bother changing. They just took their shoes off and climbed straight into bed. But Scorpius quickly decided he didn’t want to sleep in his own bed. He creeped over to Albus’, crawling under the covers beside him and wrapping his arms around him.  
“Scorpius?” Albus murmured. “What are you—”  
“I didn’t want to be on my own. Can I stay with you tonight?”  
“That’s okay, of course you can.”  
“Thanks Al.” Scorpius soon drifted off to sleep. Albus still lay there, his best friends arms wrapped around him, comfortingly. He lied there, thinking over and over again, the same thoughts playing on his mind.  
Albus wanted Delphi to be okay. But he still couldn’t forgive her. He never could. But he understood. And seeing the way she looked as his parents hugged him after being reunited with each other, made him understand even more. And he felt her pain.


End file.
